Aqueous polymer products made by methods involving haloalkylene oxide reactants often contain unwanted nitrogen-free organohalogen byproducts which are considered to be pollutants. For example, reactions involving epichlorohydrin, used as an intermediate in the manufacture of a wide variety of chemicals and polymers in aqueous media, can lead to the formation of 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol (DCP) and 1-chloro-2,3-propanediol (CPD). These unwanted byproducts are formed by the reaction of epichlorohydrin with evolved chloride ion and water. Increasing environmental concerns have created a demand for products that are free from such environmentally unsound byproducts as 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol and 1-chloro-2,3-propanediol, as well as unreacted epichlorohydrin and other halogenated oxyalkylene compounds.
Physical methods of decontaminating aqueous reaction products containing unwanted nitrogen-free organohalogen byproducts are known, such as solvent extraction with a water-immiscible solvent, or adsorption on a solid adsorbent, such as charcoal. However, such known methods can result in depletion of the reaction product, as well as requiring costly measures to recover and purify the solvent or adsorbent. Furthermore, such methods still leave the problem of how to ultimately dispose of the contaminants, i.e. the undesired halogenated oxyalkylene compounds.
It is known that nitrogen-free organohalogen-containing compounds can be converted to a relatively harmless substance. For example, 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol, 1-chloro-2,3-propanediol, and epichlorohydrin have been treated with alkali to produce glycerol.
The conversion of nitrogen-free organohalogen compounds with microorganisms containing a dehalogenase is also known. For example, C. E. Castro, et al. ("Biological Cleavage of Carbon-Halogen Bonds Metabolism of 3-Bromopropanol by Pseudomonas sp.", Biochimica et Biophysica Acta, 100, 384-392, 1965) describe the use of Pseudomonas sp. isolated from soil that metabolizes 3-bromopropanol in sequence to 3-bromopropionic acid, 3-hydroxypropionic acid and CO.sub.2.
Various U.S. Patents also describe the use of microorganisms for dehalogenating halohydrins, e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,452,894; 4,477,570; and 4,493,895.
Finally, commercial papermaking operations utilize paper wet strengthening formulations which comprise nitrogen-containing cationic polymers as well as nitrogen-free organohalogen compounds. In the papermaking process, waste material is frequently disposed of in landfills, etc. This waste is a substantially solid mass of material which is exposed to the environment. The exposure of the waste to the environment results in the selection of microorganisms which feed on the components in the waste. It is known that there are microorganisms which feed on the nitrogen-free organohalogen compounds in the solid waste.